Pack for fragile articles



Sept. 10,1935. E. 1.. SHEPARD PACK FOR FRAGILE ARTICLES Filed Nov. 22,1932 3 Sheets-Sheet l fiwani-or E'rnesZL.S/aepard P 1935. E. L SHEPARD2,014,091

PACK FOR FRAGILE ARTICLES 4 Filed Nov 22, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 InventorSept. 10, 1935.

E. L. SHEPARD PACK FOR FRAGILE ARTICLES Filed Nov. 22, 1952 3Sheets-Sheet 3 113061170! ErnesZLS/aepmd flltozzugy Patented Sept. 10,1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PACK FOR FRAGILE ARTICLES ApplicationNovember 22, 1932, Serial No. 643,854

7 Claims.

In the packing and shipping of fragile articles such as glass bottles,jars, radio and .electric light bulbs, etc. it is usually the practiceto pack and ship a considerable number of articles in a shipping case orcrate, these cases being opened by the retailer who repacks theindividual articles for retail delivery.

In order to facilitate the repacking of articles for such retaildelivery as well as to properly protect the articles during theirshipment in bulk, the articles are sometimes packed in individualcontainers or in containers containing a comparatively small number ofarticles, these containers providing convenient packages for retaildelivery without repacking when removed from the shipping case.

For some articles, however, it is unnecessary to have all the articlesin the large shipping case packed in individual packages for retaildelivery. Instead only a part of those articles need be packed in theretail package in which event it is either necessary to pack a part ofthe articles in the individual containers and provide some separate andindependent means for packing the remainder of the articles, or morepreferably, to provide individual article packing members of such designthat they will not only afford packing means for the articles in thelarge case or crate but when removed from the crate may be used forre-shipment of a part of the articles properly packed in a retaildelivery package.

The ordinary pack is of the folded type where a single article or asmall number of articles are placed within this pack, the top foldedover the articles thus forming a closed protective container protectingthe articles when packed and shipped with others and also forming aretail delivery package for each article or each small group ofarticles.

If, however, it is not necessary to have individual retail deliverypackages for all articles in a shipping case, the packing of thesearticles in the case with a lesser number of the ordinary individualshipping packs than necessary for retail delivery has not beensatisfactory. If the packages are not folded over but are simply laid ontop of other articles, both articles and packs are loosely retained inthe shipping case and damage both to the packs and articles packedtherein results.

With these considerations in mind, I have devised an individual articlepack which fulfills the dual purpose, first of providing a reliableprotective packing means for the articles in the larger shipping case,and second, of providing a convenient retail means for individualarticles or small groups of articles after the packs have been removedfrom the larger .shipping case. According to my invention theconstruction of the packs themselves is such as to prevent unduemovement 5 of the packs relative to each other in the shipping case withresultant damage to the packs and the articles contained therein whileat the same time providing for that universality of use so necessarywhere the packs may be assembled in 10 the shipping case either asfolded, ioldable, or rigid packing units.

As illustrative of the principles involved, I show a container for twoarticles such as bottles, and various assemblies of such container in ashipping case. It is to be understood that this is simply illustrative,however, and that my pack is neither limited to the packing of twoarticles only nor limited to the packing only of such articles asbottles.

In the accompanying drawings wherein I have attempted to indicateseveral of the many packing assemblies:-

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a pair of superposed article packs, hereshown as bottle packs, in accordance with my invention, with bottles inplace, and particularly illustrating the pack structure by means ofwhich the packs are restrained against undue shifting motion within theshipping case.

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are cross sections on the lines 22, 3-3 and 4-4,respectively, of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 shows a combination packing in a large shipping case whereby apart of the articles are completely enclosed in the retail delivery pack5 and a part of the articles are packed in an unfolded retail package.

Fig. 6 illustrates this pack when used in the regular way by beingfolded over the articles completely enclosing them and providing aplurality of individual retail delivery packs.

Fig. '7 shows these packs used in a shipping case and not folded orcompletely enclosing the articles, and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the pack and is illustrative of themodifications and improvements which I have conceived to enable thispack to fulfill its dual purpose previously mentioned.

The above views illustrate not only the dual purpose which this packaccomplishes but also indicate that any reasonable combination or numberof individual shipping packs can be included in the shipping case inaccordance with the individual and varying needs of the retail trade.

It is obvious of course that there is a minimum number of packsnecessary in order to satisfactorily retain and protect the articles inthe large case. If this number is not suilicient for retail delivery apart (Fig. 5) or all (Fig. 6) of the articles may be packed in foldingpacks affording retail delivery packs for as much of the contents of theshipping case as may be necessary.

In order to accomplish this purpose I have designed a pack which can beused either in a conventional closed form in the shipping case or forretail delivery and also can be used without being folded (Fig. 7) forpacking the articles in a large shipping case, the construction beingsuch that the packs themselves are positively restrained against undueshifting movement relative to each other in the shipping case under anyand all conditions of use.

In order to accomplish this result, each pack is provided with recessesor saddles on both exterior surfaces, which recesses or saddles fit overthe articles which may be placed in open packs in the lower level orlevels of the shipping case. These recesses or saddles provide adequatesupporting surface for the upper layers of articles contained in openpacks and as many of these layers or tiers of articles can be thuspacked as is necessary to fill the case. Not only do the recesses orsaddles form an adequate supporting surface for the upper layers butthey also prevent shifting of the upper layers relative to the lowerlayers and consequent damage to both pack and articles packed therein.

In Fig. 5 the articles in the lower layers are shown as packed in thismanner while the articles in the upper layer are shown packed in thesame packing member but folded so as to provide a complete retailshipping package. It is of course obvious that the entire shipping casemight have been packed in a similar manner shown in the upper layer ofthis case or that the articles in said upper layer might have beenpacked in open containers as in Fig. 7 or folded containers, as in Fig.6.

Referring now to the construction of the individual packing units, theseare formed of fibrous material, as molded pulp. Each pack consists of asheet I having a plurality of individual half-pockets orarticle-receiving cavities 2 distributed symmetrically across its face,preferably in reversed arrangement to each other, the sheet beingadapted in some instances to be overfolded upon itself along a centralfold line 3 and when so overfolded forming by means of said cavities aplurality (here shown as two) of completely enclosing cells for thebottles or other articles A packed therein.

The cavities or depressions 2 are themselves suitably contoured toconform to the articles A which are to be packed therein, and aretrussed or reinforced in any desired manner whereby to properlystrengthen and stiifen the packing sheet generally.

In the case of the bottle pack shown, such reinforcements include atransverse hollow rib 4 and 5, adjacent each end of the pack, and acentral hollow rib 6. The ribs 4 and 5 may or may not extend completelyacross the spaces separating the individual article recesses 2exteriorly of the sheet. The central hollow rib 6 is preferablysectional, being broken at said separating spaces.

The sections of the central rib 6 are alternately joined to the end ribs4 or 5 by longitudi- In such packing method the cradles or saddles I 8afford adequate bearing for the layer next above and also serve toretain the upper layer against shifting movement on the lower layer withresultant damage to both the packs and the articles contained therein.

Where the packing units are provided with these cradles or saddles 53, Ialso find it desirable to form the upper surface of the longitudinalribs I with a slightly upward curve towards the end ribs l and 5 of theunit, best shown in Fig. 8, the surface of the ribs 1 being alsoslightly dished if desired.

The necks of the bottles, in the case of a bottle pack, rest on theseribs 1 and the effect of curving said ribs upwardly is to prevent thebotties from rolling off the ribs. This in combination with the concavedsaddles or cradles fords a secure seat for the bottles when packed asshown in Figs. 1 and 7.

As previously indicated several alternative methods of assembly in theshipping case are possible.

In Fig. 5, the bottom and intermediate layers are shown as constitutedby packing units of open or unfolded type and the uppermost layer asconstituted by a pair of open or unfolded units which, however, havebeen reversed as to each other and placed one on top of the other so asto completely close the row of bottles or other articles A in saiduppermost layer.

When the shipping case of Fig. 5 is opened, the several packing unitsare individually usable as retail containers by simply overfolding themon their central fold lines.

In Fig. 6 all articles in all layers are shown as packed in units whichhave already been overfolded to form closed individual retail packingcontainers without the necessity of re-packing when the shipping case isopened.

In Fig. 7 all of the packing units in the several layers are of the openor unfolded type, the units in an upper layer resting directly upon thebottles or other articles A in a lower layer of units, and as best shownin Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, the saddles or cradles 8 serving to provideadequate bearing and reliable restraining surfaces therefor whereby toprevent relative shifting of the superposed layers.

The foregoing embodiments are only illustrative of the variety ofpacking assemblies and combinations thereof possible with mydual-purpose packing unit which in all instances and under allconditions of packing provides at once a reliable packing sheet orfiller for the shipping case and a convenient retail container for theindividual articles or small groups of them after they have been removedfrom the shipping case.

Many other arrangements as well as various modifications in structureand use will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, andconsequently are to be regarded as coming within the general perview ofmy invention if within the limits of the appended claims.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. In an article pack, a sheet of fibrous material having a plurality ofcontiguous pocket forming depressions of curved cross section, saiddepressions being intersected by at least three transverse reenforcementchannels which form bearing ribs exteriorly of the pockets, two of saidribs being located adjacent the ends of the pack and the third rib beinglocated substantially centrally of the pack.

2. In an article pack, a sheet of fibrous material having a plurality ofcontiguous pocket forming depressions of curved cross section, saiddepressions being intersected. by at least three transversereenforcement channels which form bearing ribs exteriorly of thepockets, and said ribs being provided with concaved surfaces affordingseats or cradles for articles packed exteriorly of the article receivingdepressions, two of said ribs being located adjacent the ends of thepack and the third rib being located substantially centrally of the packand the seats or cradles of the end ribs being staggered with referenceto each other but being aligned with the seats or cradles of the centralrib.

3. In an article pack, a sheet of fibrous material having a plurality ofcontiguous pocket forming depressions of curved cross section, saidsheet having transverse reinforcements extending continuously acrosssaid pocket forming depressions and constituting transverse bearing ribsexteriorly of said depressions, said sheet also having longitudinallyextending reinforcements connecting certain of said transversereinforcements and affording longitudinally bearing ribs exteriorly ofthe pockets, said transverse bearing ribs being formed to provide seatsor cradles for the reception of other articles placed therein exteriorlyof the pocket forming depressions.

4. An article pack as claimed in claim 3, wherein the longitudinalreinforcement ribs are curved upwardly towards their outer ends tosnugly fit and support the corresponding portions of the articles placedthereon.

5. A pack as claimed in claim 3 wherein the longitudinal ribs aredisposed in the line of the axis of curvature of the seats or cradlesformed on the transverse ribs.

6. A pack as claimed in claim 3 wherein the exterior bearing surfaces ofthe longitudinal ribs are transversely curved to conform to thecurvature of the articles supported thereon.

7. A pack as claimed in claim 3 wherein there are three transverse ribs,two of which are located adjacent the ends of the pack and the third ribbeing located substantially centrally of the pack, and wherein thelongitudinal ribs extend only from the central rib to one of the endribs in any pocket forming depression so that said longitudinal ribs arestaggered with respect to each other.

ERNEST L. SHEPARD.

